meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Should Music Be Political? With Grammy-Winning Jewish Musician Joanie Leeds

Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Jonah Platt

Cultural Exploration, Judaism, Jewish Experience, Jewish Athletes, Society & Culture, Art And Judaism Sports, Diversity Of Judaism, Personal Journeys, Non-jewish Allies, Faith Conversations, Faith And Spirituality, Jewish Heritage, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish Identity, Jewish Food And Politics, Jewish Culture, Being Jewish, Celebrity Interviews, Jonah Platt

4.91.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Watch Being Jewish on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcast


Subscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:

bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletter


For Sponsorships, please email:

Jonah@JonahPlatt.com


To contact us & all things BJJP:

www.BeingJewishPodcast.com


Follow Jonah on:

Instagram - @JonahPlatt

X - @JonahPlatt


Follow Being Jewish on:

Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast

TikTok - @BeingJewish

It’s music meets mishpacha in this heartfelt new episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt: 30 Minute Mensches! Grammy-winning Jewish children’s music artist Joanie Leeds joins Jonah to share stories about the triumphs and challenges of making Jewish music in today’s climate. They discuss the debut of her 12th studio album Ageless, an ode to multi-generational heritage and Jewish values. Joanie and Jonah also tackle the line between music as political expression and music as the universal language of unity.  They also get into:

  • 🎶 How Joanie turned banned children’s books into the protest album Freadom
  • ✡️ The challenges of advocating for a Jewish music category at the Grammys
  • 🎤 Collaborating with her daughter on song and on the stage
  • 📚 The greatness of Jewish hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • 🎸 Balancing inclusivity and political messaging in family-friendly music

Press Play and join us for 30 minutes of music, meaning, and Jewish joy!

Being Jewish Listener Survey (please help us!)

https://forms.gle/rjvhcKgDD2yUknEw6


 All Things Joanie! 

Host & Production Team

Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew Jones; Story Producer: Sasha Nelson; Content Director: Alexandra Fugère; Associate Producer: Sean Leviashvili); Editor: Post Relativity & Mike O’ Brien; Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild; Graphic Designer: Noah Bell

MENTIONED IN EPISODE

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Shalom, Kavarim, Banot, and welcome to another very special episode of the world's number one Jewish podcast.

0:08.1

I have to ask for a small favor.

0:10.4

As an independent show, we don't have a massive marketing machine behind us.

0:14.6

Our growth is purely organic, fueled by dedicated viewers and listeners like you.

0:19.5

So if you would be so kind, please take 30 seconds,

0:24.0

head over to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, find this show, and leave me a five-star rating and a short

0:30.0

written review. I love seeing all of your thoughtful and generous feedback. Some of it has even

0:35.0

made it onto the show and may again. And as of this recording,

0:38.5

we are just eight ratings away from hitting 500 on Apple. Crossing that threshold would be a huge

0:44.3

milestone for us. It's a small mitzv on your part, but it really is the fuel that allows us to

0:50.0

keep these amazing conversations going. So thank you in advance. Unless you don't leave a rating,

0:56.1

in which case you're a butthead. Hey guys, it's Jonah here. Before we jump into today's episode of 30

1:02.3

minute mentions, I have a favor to ask. We have a new listener survey out, and I would really

1:07.7

appreciate it if you could take a couple minutes to fill it out.

1:13.4

We're doing a little market research and we could really use your help.

1:17.9

So you can find the survey in the show notes, the description for today's episode,

1:22.4

as well as on our Instagram at Being Jewish podcast in the bio.

1:23.5

We will have a link there.

1:27.0

Thank you so much to Darabha and enjoy the episode. That's my duty to put these stories into songs.

1:31.5

Hey, if it's a little controversial, I'm okay with it.

1:34.4

As a Jewish artist in the children's music space,

1:37.5

is there a difference between what you might have faced before October 7th and after?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jonah Platt, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jonah Platt and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.